All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 56

Monday morning meetings were dreaded by all the staff. The firm was in trouble and the recent staffing changes were not helping. Even with Chloe leaving, and everyone cutting their hours, there was not enough business coming in to support the remaining staff. A few of the people had already been looking at moving out of Dublin to London, or even to America to find jobs to be able to support themselves. London was easier, as the wait for a green card to the US could take forever. Most didn't really want to leave Ireland because of family, but they may not have a choice.

When the boss entered the meeting room on Monday everyone knew something was up. There was a stranger with him. Someone in an expensive suit looking like things were going to change. The stranger sat at the back of the room while their boss explained how poorly business had been going over the last couple of months, even with the cuts and sacrifices they had made. So he looked outside the firm for financial support. And in the end that support came from a competitive firm and a merger. With such a merger there would be reorganization. And everyone turned to look at the stranger at the back of the room.

Grace knew this was not going to be good at all. The manager of the new firm was introduced and explained that no one should panic about their jobs. There would be changes and not everyone would survive the merger. All employees would be given two weeks of redundancy pay, and some help would be provided for recommendations for new jobs. There was a unified groan in the group.

Everyone looked around the table at friends they had worked with for several years or more. They knew this was the end of the road for most of them. The faces of those near retirement were full of worry lines. Who would hire someone their age at this point?

Interviews were set up for the remainder of that day. Decisions had already been made and it was just a matter of informing the employees who was to stay and who was going to be let go. The entire office would be closing and those employees moving to the new firm needed to clear out their work spaces as well as those who would no longer be working for the firm. So while interviews were progressing, all employees returned to their work spaces and started packing up what personal items they had accumulated over the years. For most it was no more than a box of items that they could carry out of the building. This was the end for the firm they had given their life to and for many it was the only job they had had since the end of college. Their loyalty ran deep and this was so difficult to fathom.

Grace was called before lunch that day. To her surprise, she was asked to stay and move to the new firm. She only had one question.
“If I quit, will someone else get my place and keep their job?” Grace was a great negotiator when landing a client and now was using that skill to try and insure that if she left, someone else would have the opportunity to keep their job.

After some private discussion between the old and new boss, they assured her that going down the list of employees, that, yes, if she decided not to continue with the new firm, the next person on the list would take her place. They were very confused, and the new manager asked many questions as to why she would leave this great opportunity. Grace tried not to bring too much of her personal life into the discussion, but explained that another opportunity had crossed her path and she wanted to further explore it's possibilities. She also made sure to negotiate the two week redundancy pay which would help her get through the next month and make her move to Swatragh.

As soon as Grace arrived home she message Quinn. She really didn't know who else to call, as most of her friends were from the firm and already knew what was happening. She and Quinn arranged to meet up at a local coffee shop that was convenient for both of them. Grace explained that she would be giving notice to her landlord and moving out of her flat in Dublin. That would really put a wrench into Quinn and Grace seeing each other in Dublin after the next week. Quinn didn't seem too concerned, but didn't say much. He only asked if there would be a room for him at the cottage on a regular basis so that he could visit on weekends.

Grace was pleased with this, knowing that she could look forward to weekend visits from Quinn, even though she might be busy with guests part of the time. Quinn explained that if they wanted to make more of their relationship, they need the time to see each other on a regular basis, and he was willing to make that happen. They planned to work on packing up Grace's flat over the next weekend, and move as much as she needed up to Swatragh over the next two weeks. As Grace began her packing, she thought of her grandmother, Aine, and how grateful she was for the gift of the cottage. Aine must have been looking over her knowing that this was the perfect decision.